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Twitter is under new ownership, and while freedom is what Elon Musk promised, there have been plenty of account suspensions.
Comedian Kathy Griffin is among those whose account received suspension for impersonating Twitter’s new owner.
Suspension
Kathy Griffin is the first celebrity to lose her tweeting privileges as a wave of users impersonated Musk on the weekend.
The impersonation comes intending to highlight the flaws in Twitter’s plans for a new verification system.
Read also: Meta joins other tech companies in laying off workforce
Subscription plans
Elon Musk used the $8 subscription plan as his signature bid to boost the company’s revenue in an effort to steer away from ads.
The new plan rolled out on the weekend before Twitter decided to delay the service until after the midterm elections.
The new Twitter Blue subscription plan gives paying users a blue checkmark on their profiles.
Previously, the option was exclusive to celebrities, politicians, journalists, and other public figures.
Elon Musk proposes the new feature as a way to combat spam bots on the platform.
However, the pre-ejected plan received widespread backlash.
Celebrities and comedians
Over the weekend, several celebrities on Twitter posed as Musk in a display of defiance.
Comedian Sarah Silverman copied Musk’s profile picture, cover picture, and name, tweeting:
“I am a freedom of speech absolutist and I eat doody for breakfast every day.”
She also retweeted posts supporting Democratic candidates.
On Sunday, Silverman’s account was “temporarily restricted” with a warning of unusual activity on her account.
She then reverted her account with her own name and picture.
Television’s Valerie Bertinelli also changed her Twitter name to Elon Musk, tweeting:
“[t]he blue checkmark simply meant your identify was verified. Scammers would have a harder time importsonating you. That no longer applied. Good luck out there!”
Bertinelli later changed her account back to its origin, saying, “[o]key-dokey I’ve had my fun and I think I made my point.”
Read also: Twitter might charge users about $20 for verification
Elon Musk
Twitter’s new owner addressed the impersonations on Sunday, writing:
“Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying ‘parody’ will be permanently suspended.”
Elon Musk also says that Twitter users won’t receive a warning before their suspension.
“This will be clearly identified as a condition for signing up to Twitter Blue,” he explained.
On Monday morning, Kathy Griffin’s account remained suspended, and it remains unclear how long it will remain in effect.
The night before, Musk mocked her, saying she was suspended for impersonating a comedian.
He then said she could get her account back after paying $8 for Twitter Blue.
However, it is unclear if Musk was serious.
Reference:
Kathy Griffin suspended from Twitter for impersonating Elon Musk
